I am so excited today to be kicking off the first interview of our new "Get to Know Your Wedding Team" series.

As a bride, you have the exciting opportunity to craft a wedding day that is exactly what you have always envisioned. You get to hand pick every detail - music, fashion, food, storytelling photography and decor and incorporate unique elements that help celebrate your love story.

In order to bring your vision and planning to life, you will need a team of wedding professionals that can deliver. You have also never planned a wedding before, and likely never will again. It can be a bit overwhelming to nail down your style and what you're looking for and then to find the person that can bring it to life. In my last two years in business as a wedding photographer in New York, I have had the opportunity to work with some of the BEST in the industry.

Today I am so excited to introduce you to Eva Gerapetritis. She is the owner of a makeup empire servicing brides in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania and I am excited to pull back the curtain and help answer some of the questions you didn't even know that you had about choosing the makeup artist for your wedding day.

What stood out to me about Eva was that she took the initiative to reach out to me through email a few weeks before the wedding. She introduced herself and asked me what time I needed the bride and her bridesmaids to be completely finished with hair & makeup.

It was a simple email, but it was the first and last time a makeup artist has ever reached out to me directly to coordinate for photos and I really appreciated that she cared so deeply for her brides and wanted to make sure that her team was helping support Jeannie in any way she could.

I must say that while other makeup artists have not directly emailed me, every makeup artist that I have worked along side has done a phenomenal job creating beautiful work and staying on the brides schedule.

I am so excited to share this interview with Eva and to share a little bit more about her business. I hope that it will help provide you with some insight on her company as well as spark some questions that you may want to ask your makeup artist.

Tell us a little bit about you and your business.

A little bit about myself, my name is Eva Gerapetritis and I am the founder of Make Me Up Eva. I have 30 hand picked, certified professional makeup artists that make up my team. I have personally trained each artist myself aside from their additional outside training. They assist me for larger bridal parties, or do makeup for all bridal parties and brides that I am unavailable for. Each artist is trained to deliver the Make Me Up Eva style that our brides desire. We travel anywhere our brides want us whether it be within USA, or overseas! I am an animal lover!

How did you get started in your business?

I was always super creative growing up - but just couldn't find my niche. I went to college for Marketing, but after graduating I still was interested in the arts. I went to makeup school not thinking a full career could come out of it - more for fun. Long story short, I did one bride..who referred another bride..who referred another bride etc and now we are here!

What do you love about your business?

Getting to make women feel so good about themselves and being part of their big day.

Tell us a little bit about a “Make Me Up Eva” bride?

In an nutshell, the Make Me Up Eva bride is the bride that wants to look like an enhanced version of herself the day of her wedding. She wants to be her best version of herself, and still be recognizable!

Tell us a little bit about a unique service that you provide for your brides and how it can help make a wedding day even better.

Airbrushing and extended touch ups are two of our most popular menu options. Airbrushing is great for the "real life" instagram filter look - it leaves you extra flawless! We also offer extended touch ups where the artist will stay with you the entire day, ensuring that nothing is ever out of place!

Client experience is SUPER important. How do you make sure that your company is serving your brides well?

Communication. If you ask any of my brides, there typically isn't a day where I don't respond within 3 hours to their emails. I also touch base with my brides consistently throughout the year, asking for timing updates per their photographers/vendors to ensure their wedding day timeline runs smoothly

What is your favorite thing about weddings?

Being around so many happy people.

What is your favorite part of the wedding day?

Showing our clients the mirror after we do their makeup.

What is your most frequently asked question?

SHOULD I GET LASHES? Yes!! ALWAYS!!! Lashes are the game changer

What do you wish brides knew about your business?

We are super reliable and experienced, and will make sure you are the happiest you could possibly be with your makeup the day of your wedding

What are some of your goals for your business this year?

Start lipstick line / hold more makeup seminars

What sets you apart from other companies in your industry?

We are extremely personable and make sure we fit the needs of our clients. You aren't going to sit in our chair without having a full on interview of how you'd like your makeup. We don't do what we want to do, we do what YOU want us to do, with our twist on it

What advice do you have for brides planning their wedding today?

Timing and communication is absolutely key with your planning. Make sure you are in communication with your vendors, signing contracts, and updating everyone with any necessary information as the year goes on. Don't be scared to ask questions.

Do you do makeup for only brides?

No! We do makeup for anything you could possibly need your makeup done for!

Thank you so much Eva for being part of this series and sharing about your killer business! Stay tuned for new interviews with amazing wedding vendors and if you have any questions for Eva feel free to reach out to her directly at makemeupeva@gmail.com or leave them in the comments below. =)